When Govt. gets fooled on April Fools' Day

04 April 1998 10:38 IST

The Goa government took several industrialists on a trip, on the occasion of the Fools' Day, while ultimately making a fool of themselves.

Luizinho Faleiro, the state industries minister, along with former chief minister Ravi Naik and former minister Francisco Sardinha, both Congress MPs now, announced at a hurriedly called press conference here on 31st March that the Parliament had granted one additional year of tax holiday to Goa.

Obviously, the official announcement hit headlines of all the local newspapers, as the five year tax holiday granted to Goa along with several other states in '93 was expiring on 31st March this year.

But enquiries made at the income tax office later confirmed that the news was totally false. "It is a clear case of a futile attempt made to take bogus credit", commented BJP legislator Manohar Parrikar, who also publicly exposed the foul play of the local government.

The Goan MPs had not realised that union finance minister Yeshwant Sinha had moved Income Tax Amendment bill, ratifying the ordinance issued by the United Front government, which had granted extension of tax holiday for power and infrastructural projects and to produce mineral oil in backward districts.

Local investors were however pleased with the official announcement since many had missed the train of tax holiday. Over 160 registered industries are still unable to begin production, mainly due to acute power shortage here.

"I will not comment until I get something officially", states chief minister Pratapsing Rane, who has now taken a cautious stand on the issue. But he still believes that his MPs cannot be totally wrong since they are highly experienced persons.

As a face-saving device, Sardinha now claims that Sinha has assured in the House to consider Goa's case by extending tax holiday at least by one year. But he admits that no bill has been passed to such effect.

Parrikar, the BJP MLA, however discloses that the draft bill is already moving towards the Parliament House. He is planning to pursue it by personally meeting the ministers, while the "experienced MPs" have proved themselves to be fools in front of educated Goans and investors.